3 Different Types of Hearing Tests

Hearing loss is a common condition and it affects millions of people. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including age, noise exposure and genetics. Many people with hearing loss do not even know they have it until it is too late. That is why it is essential to get your hearing tested regularly. This article will discuss three different types of hearing tests: pure-tone audiometry, speech audiometry and otoacoustic emissions testing.

1. Pure-Tone Audiometry

This test is the most common type of hearing screening. It measures how well you hear tones at different pitches. The results are plotted on a graph called an audiogram, which shows where your hearing ability falls within normal ranges for each frequency tested.

The pure-tone test consists of two parts: air conduction testing and bone conduction testing. The first part is done using headphones that play sounds at different frequencies through a speaker system inside the earphones, which are called air because they use airwaves instead of sound waves to transmit information from one place to another. Air conductive testing measures how well you hear low-pitched or high-pitched sounds coming from outside your head.

In contrast, bone conduction tests measure how well you hear high pitches coming directly into your inner ear bones without having them travel through any other medium like air first – in this case; it will be measured by placing speakers on either side of your skull while wearing special headphones called bone conduction headphones.

2. Speech Audiometry

Speech audiometry is designed to measure how well a person understands spoken language. It can also be used as an aid in the diagnosis of hearing loss since speech perception tends to deteriorate more rapidly than other aspects of communication skills when someone has a sensorineural hearing impairment (SNHI). The test consists of having subjects listen carefully and repeat back what they hear from a recording played through headphones at various volume levels; this allows measurement not only for clarity but also accuracy rate per each volume level tested.

The most common form uses single words rather than sentences because it makes testing easier by reducing potential sources for confusion or mistakes made during transcription errors such as mispronunciations due to background noise or interference with other sounds in one’s environment.

3. Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Testing

This test uses a tiny microphone inserted into the ear canal to measure the sound waves that are generated by the cochlea in response to clicks or tones. These waves can be measured and analyzed to provide an estimate of how well the inner ear is working. This type of testing is often used for newborns and young children because their cochlea is still developing, and they are more likely to have undetected hearing loss.

The results from otoacoustic emissions testing can also help determine whether a baby’s hearing loss is caused by problems with the outer or middle ear or if it is due to a problem with the inner ear. This information can be helpful in deciding on the best treatment plan for the child.

It is important to get your hearing regularly tested, regardless of whether you think there may be a problem. The three types of tests described in this blog post are just some of the many ways that hearing can be screened.